Sunderland under-21s must show more of a killer instinct in the final third if they are to find their goalscoring touch, according to Andy Welsh.
The young Black Cats were left frustrated on Tuesday evening as Darlington raced into an unassailable lead after first-half goals from Kev Burgess and Nathan Cartman.
Despite controllling the flow of the game, Sunderland failed to convert their pressure into goals as attack after attack broke down.
Speaking to safc.com Welsh admitted while there were some pleasing aspects, the development team must be more direct in the final third.
“It was a difficult performance and overall I am very disappointed,” he said. “We played better in the second half but we were still very naïve.
“We tried to score the perfect goal and there were one of two times when we got the ball out wide and we didn’t get it in the box,” he continued.
“We tended to go back and be too clever around the edge of the box. We can't afford to do that because we need to be a more direct with our play, get our shots off, get our crosses in and have more of a physical presence in the box.
“That aside, there were one or two bright sparks as Elliot Embleton had a really good second half. He handled the ball very well, moved it quickly and created some very good chances.
“Dan Wright also had a really good evening in midfield. He has been excellent in all three friendlies and while he had to play right back in the second half he still did very well.”
